Your business’ brand is one of the most important aspects of a growing business, because it is a grand combination of your business’ logo, colors, font faces, tone of voice, word choice, attitude, history, and so much more. And since your brand is intangible, yet it influences every other aspect of the business, dedicating time to establishing a great brand is potentially the difference between success and failure.
A more specific reason having a smart, effective business brand is so important is because your brand represents your business’ core personality and values, and it is the usually the first impression that your clients and potential customers have of you.
To help you make sure that you’ve maximized the potential of your business’ brand, here are 3 essential qualities of effective business branding:
1. Recognizable
Your brand should be recognizable in two ways; 1. your customer should be able to quickly identify or describe key aspects of your brand like your colors, logo, and overall attitude (fun vs. serious, affordable vs. luxury) when they first encounter it, and then 2. once a potential customer has learned about your company, they should then be able to easily recognize your brand when it appears elsewhere.
Build a recognizable brand by being clear, consistent, and well-defined.
2. Simplified
One of the biggest missteps growing companies make with their brand is over-complicating it. Whether by having more than one brand logo or color scheme appearing on various business materials and social networks, or by having a complex marketing “angle”, some businesses think that having more brand elements will make them appear cooler or more interesting. This is far from the case and in the end is actually detrimental to business.
Instead, effective business brands have an extremely simplified presentation. To ensure your brand is as simplified as it should be, stick to only one to three brand colors, one consistent logo, and a simple motto or brand message that is memorable.
3. Genuine
Above all else, the most effective business branding is genuine. This means that everything you say, write, and represent in your business branding is true to who you actually are as a company. Genuineness in your business branding ensures that you retain your customers’ trust, which is everything to a business.
So for instance, if your branding represents your company as a luxury, boutique establishment, your company should consistently be providing high-end, high-quality products and services. If you also have offerings that are low-cost or low-quality, then your branding isn’t genuine.
It takes time to establish honest and effective business branding, but it is well worth the effort since great branding is one thing that you work hard on early in the business process that will then pay off immensely in the long-term.
If you’re in the process of building your business’ brand, contact us to see how our inbound marketing, web design, and web development solutions can work for you.